CHARLOTTE LAWS - DREAM AND ACHIEVE TOGETHER
|
|
|
CHARLOTTE LAWS - DREAM AND ACHIEVE TOGETHER |
|
|
|
Call to order, roll call and pledge of allegiance.
Review of minutes from last meeting and approved, except change in
Diana Lipari’s statement that “We don’t think it will relieve the
traffic.” Change to "COST doesn’t believe it will relieve the
traffic” so no one confuses her statement with the opinion of the Council.
Public Comments: (limited to 3 minutes per speaker)
No public comments.
Bylaws Changes:
We need 2/3 majority to pass anything.
Presentation by Carlos:
The bold italics are newer changes than the merely italic ones.
The following bylaws reflect the approved changes with the exception
of Article V: The Board, Sections 2 through 7. These final sections will be
reviewed and voted on at the next meeting. Each Article and Section of an
Article has motions to accept the changes, followed by a Second of the motion.
Followed by discussion. Some have friendly amendments. A vote then took place
and the motion was either approved or rejected. Sections in red reflect changes
that have been made from the original bylaws.
THE
GREATER VALLEY GLEN COUNCIL BYLAWS
Article
I:
Name
Article
II:
Boundaries
Article
III:
Membership
Article
IV:
Objectives and Policies
Article
VI:
Officers
Article
VII:
Financial Accountability
Article
X:
Grievance Procedure
Article
XI: Elections
ARTICLE I: NAME
The
name of the organization shall be “The Greater Valley Glen Council” (GVGC).
ARTICLE
II: BOUNDARIES
1. The Council’s geographic area shall be all of Valley Glen
and surrounding areas as described herein. On the West, Hazeltine Avenue from
Burbank Boulevard to Vanowen Street. At
Vanowen Street, the boundary runs East to Woodman Avenue, then North to Sherman
Way. At Sherman Way, the boundary
runs east to the Tujunga Wash, then South along the Tujunga Wash to Vanowen
Street. At Vanowen Street, the boundary runs East to Hollywood Freeway. The
boundary then runs South along the Hollywood Freeway (170) to Burbank Blvd. At
Burbank Boulevard, the boundary runs West to Hazeltine Avenue.
The area will be divided into six
sub-areas (hereinafter refereed to as “areas”). The area boundaries were determined
according to major streets and roughly equal land-mass. By using major streets
as area boundaries, this offers easy
reference to Community Stakeholders to determine their area.
The area boundaries are as follows:
Area 2: North of Victory Boulevard to Sherman Way.
East of Woodman Avenue to the Tujunga Wash.
Area 3: North of Victory Boulevard to Vanowen Street.
East of the Tujunga Wash to the Hollywood Freeway (170).
Area 4: North of Burbank Boulevard to Oxnard Street.
At Woodman Avenue, North to Victory Boulevard. East of Hazeltine Avenue to
Fulton Avenue.
Area 5: North of Oxnard Street to Victory Boulevard.
East of the Fulton Avenue to Whitsett Avenue. At Whitsett Avenue, North of Erwin
Street to Victory Boulevard and East to the Hollywood Freeway (170).
Area 6: North of Burbank Boulevard to Oxnard Street.
At Whitsett Avenue, North of Burbank Boulevard to Erwin Street.
East from Coldwater Canyon Boulevard to the Hollywood Freeway (170).
(See
map attached as Exhibit A)
ARTICLE
III: MEMBERSHIP
The
Greater Valley Glen Council membership is open to all Community Stakeholders. A
Community Stakeholder is anyone who lives, works, or owns property in the
Greater Valley Glen Council area.
In addition, Community Stakeholders
include educational institutions, religious institutions, and community
organizations.
ARTICLE
IV: OBJECTIVES & POLICIES
1. The Council shall seek to enhance the economic vitality and
quality of life of the community, to preserve and enhance its character, and
prevent its deterioration.
2. Methods to achieve objectives:
a.
Identify issues affecting the community, gather information concerning
these issues and serve as a forum for the discussion of such issues.
b.
Strive to reach general agreement among the Community Stakeholders
concerning the community’s issues and priorities.
c.
Seek resources that will benefit the community.
d.
Foster cooperation between community organizations, area businesses and
institutions.
e. Serve as a link
between the community, its elected representatives and government agencies.
Advise and advocate Community Stakeholders’ concerns and priorities to other
elected representatives.
f.
To prohibit
discrimination against any individual or group in our operations on the basis of
race, religion, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual
orientation, age, disability, marital status, income or political affiliation.
g.
The Greater Valley Glen
Council will establish procedures for communicating with all the Community
Stakeholders on a regular basis in a manner ensuring that the information is
disseminated evenly and in a timely manner.
h.
To utilize the Early
Notification System to inform our Neighborhood Council of matters involving the
City of Los Angeles and our community.
ARTICLE
V: THE
BOARD
1.
Board
Members shall be elected from Community Stakeholders
on an Election Day to
be held within 30 days after each annual meeting.
The Board shall consist of no more than twenty-four
voting Board Members. The allotted board
seat in a given category will be filled with a Community Stakeholder who is
eligible in that category by either open elections or by caucus as designated
below. Any individual
representing a group or association must be designated by appointment or
election by that organization. Board
Members shall be from the following Community Stakeholder categories:
a.
Homeowners 1 Board Member from
each of the Areas 1-6 Elected
Self-nominations
b.
Resident Occupants
1 Board Member from each of the Areas 1-6
Elected
Self-nominations
c.
Merchants/Businesspersons/Commercial Property Owners
1 Board Member from each of the Areas 1-6 Elected
Self-nominations
Definition:
Merchant/Business
Representatives:
Owner/employee of retail, wholesale, industrial or service business located within the community grid area on commercially zoned property.
Definition: Commercial
Property Owner:
Owner/owner's representative of
income property within the Council area used for residential rental (including single family residence
used exclusively as income producing property
or multi-family housing), retail stores, offices, service businesses,
industrial facilities or any other recognized commercial use.
d.
Schools:
1 Board Member
At-large
Caucus
e. Religious Institutions 1
Board Member
At-large
Caucus
f.
Youth (age 16-19)
1 Board Member elected
annually At-large
Elected
Self-nominations
Definition:
Youth, aged 16-19, who lives, works or owns property within the Council area.
g. Other Community Stakeholder
2 Board Members
At-large
Elected
Self-nominations
Definition:
Other Community Stakeholder
h.
Community Organizations
Only organizations that do not qualify under the categories of
Schools or Religious Institutions are eligible.
Each organization will select their representative.
1
Board Member
At-large
Caucus
Definition:
Community Organizations:
For the purposes of selecting one of their members as a Board Member candidate, a community organization must meet all of the following criteria:
1.
Be classified as a non-profit tax-exempt
organization as defined in IRS Code 501( c )(3).This category only includes
those organizations whose membership is not based on residency or homeownership.
2.
Have
carried out activities that involve the Community Stakeholders served by the
Greater Valley Glen Council during the last twelve
months immediately preceding the election for the Board.
3. The
organization maintains its principal office or headquarters within the area
served by the Council or a majority of the Organization's activities and
meetings occur within the area served by the Council, or a majority of the
persons affiliated with the organization are Community Stakeholders of the
Greater Valley Glen Council.
_____________________________________________________________________
These
following Sections through Article V, Section 7 are not yet voted on or
approved.
2. The Board shall be governed by the following rules:
a.
Board
Members shall serve a term of two years beginning in the election of 2006.
In the election of 2005, half of the Board Members shall be elected for
one year and the other for two years. Thereafter,
beginning in 2006, only half of the seats shall be up for election on any given
year. Elections shall be held annually. Each Board Member shall then serve a two-year term beginning
in 2006 and each seat shall be up for election
every other year. The
Board or a committee appointed by the
Board shall determine the voting process.
b. The President has
the authority and responsibility to appoint a person to any
vacancy. The
appointment must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Board Members.
Appointed Board Members shall meet
the same eligibility requirements that apply to the position they would fill, as
are required of elected Board Members.
c.
If the
Board is unable to fill a vacancy, the process for filling the vacancy will
continue with each regular meeting thereafter until the time such
vacancy is filled.
d.
No Board Member
shall serve on the Board for more than three
consecutive full terms without being
off the Board for at least two years.
e. Any Board Member
who misses three
(3) regular Board meetings in any six (6) month period shall be
notified in writing of their removal from the board, effective immediately.
f.
No Board Member shall speak or write on behalf of the Greater Valley Glen
Council on matters of policy if they do not have the authority to do so.
Membership on a committee does not grant the member authority to speak for the
council on matters of policy without prior authorization. This provision shall
not be interpreted to infringe on any person’s right to free speech.
g.
No
Board Member or Community Stakeholder shall utilize the city seal for his/her
personal use or in communications by individuals expressing personal opinions.
The purpose of the seal is to indicate that official city business is being
conducted and any other use is only permissible with prior permission from the
City Clerk or the administration of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
(DONE).
h.
No Board Member or Community Stakeholder may endorse or support any
political viewpoint or candidate as being supported by the Greater Valley Glen
Council. Although every Community Stakeholder is free to do so as
individuals, they are not to utilize their status as a Board Member or any
insignia of the Council when doing so.
i.
In situations where
public statements are made, such as websites, publications, broadcasts, etc., or
in discussions with public officials, if a Board Member mentions the Greater
Valley Glen Council and also expresses personal opinions or positions, those
personal opinions or positions must be clearly distinguished from the
opinions or positions of the Council.
j.
No past Board Member shall use their former title in a way that indicates
or suggests current membership on the Board.
Current Board Members may not use their position in a misleading fashion.
k.
In
the event these bylaws are violated the President or Secretary shall issue a
written warning with the opportunity to correct the offending behavior. Should
the offending behavior continue, the Board is authorized to pursue any of the
following options; censure, removal from any applicable positions, removal as a
Board Member. Censure requires a majority vote of the Board and removal requires
a two-thirds majority vote of the Board.
3. The powers of the Board shall be those usually consistent
with the operation of an organization including, but not limited to; management
of fiscal affairs, the deliberation of issues and establishment of the
Greater Valley Glen Council’s position on issues relevant to its Community
Stakeholders through communication
with the membership, the dissemination and implementation of such positions, and
evaluations of persons
employed by the Greater Valley Glen Council.
4. Restrictions and Ethics:
a.
All Board
Members will comply with the City's Ethics provisions and abide by
all applicable laws of the local, state and federal government.
b.
No elected government official may serve as Board Members.
c.
All Board Members must comply with the Bylaws of the Council.
d.
No Board Members will be
permitted to vote by proxy.
e.
Board Members shall comply with the Ralph M. Brown Act as required by law.
f. All Board Members will comply with the financial disclosure required by the City of Los Angeles.
5.
Resignation & Removal:
a.
Any Board Member may resign at any time by delivering a
written resignation to the President or Secretary of the Council and said
resignation shall be effective as of the date of receipt.
b.
Any Board Member holding one of the four Officer positions or
the chairperson of a committee may resign at any time by delivering a written
resignation to the President or Secretary of the Council.
The resignation shall be effective as of the date of receipt and shall
not constitute resignation as a Board Member.
c.
Any
Board Member who becomes ineligible for the following reasons shall have their
seat automatically forfeited: Board Member elected to public office or who no
longer meets the definition of a Community Stakeholder in the category they
represent (including but not limited to a resident/homeowner Board Member who
moves out of the Greater Valley Glen Council area they represent).
d. A Board Member may be recalled
by the submission of a written petition that (1) describes the Board
Member to be recalled
(2) describes in detail the reason for removal and (3) includes the signature of
50 Community Stakeholders. The Secretary shall then have the matter placed in
the agenda for a vote of the Board Members at the next regular meeting of the
Board. A vote of No Confidence by two-thirds of the Board Members shall be
necessary to remove the Board Member forthwith. The Board Member that is the
subject of the removal shall not take part in the vote on this matter, but will
be allowed to speak at the meeting to the Board Members prior to the vote. If a quorum of Board
Members is not present to take the vote on removal, the matter shall
be placed on the agenda for the next regular meeting, and every meeting
thereafter, until such time as a vote is taken.
6. Meetings:
a.
The Board will meet monthly.
The meetings will be held on the first Monday of
the month except
when a holiday interferes.
b. The
Board can be called into Special Session with proper notice (a minimum of 24
hours) by the President or Vice President or by a quorum of the Board.
c.
Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall decide all question of normal
order not otherwise provided for by the Greater Valley Glen Council
Bylaws.
d. A
quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board shall be
defined as a majority of the Board Members.
In arriving at the determination of whether there is a quorum present,
the Board must take into account any absent Board Members, but need not take
into account any vacated or eliminated seats.
An Official Action may be taken by majority vote of
those Board Members present. In
no case shall the quorum be less than ten Board Members.
e.
All items for the agenda must be submitted to the President
or Secretary (by Community Stakeholders and/or Board Members) a
minimum of 96 hours in advance of any meeting concerning the Greater Valley Glen
Council. The President or
Secretary will post or will cause to be posted the agenda
72 hours in advance of all meetings in compliance with the Ralph M. Brown Act.
f.
All meetings will be conducted in accordance with the Brown Act.
7. Committees:
a.
The President
may
establish or dissolve committees as deemed necessary to facilitate and further
the intent of the Greater Valley Glen Council
and each shall be confirmed by a majority vote of the
Board. Each committee will include at least
one Board Member.
b.
The
President shall have the sole authority to establish a temporary ad-hoc
committee.
c. All committee work must be reported to the Board and no
action can be taken without a vote by the Board.
d.
The President shall appoint the
Chairperson of all committees. All
Committee Chairpersons shall be members of the Board. The President shall
nominate committee chairpersons, and each nominee shall be confirmed by a
majority vote of the Board.
A Committee Chairperson may be removed by a 2/3 vote of the Board.
___________________________________________________________________________
The Following
Articles have been approved by the Council.
1. The Greater Valley Glen Council consists of the following
four Officers:
a. The PRESIDENT shall
be the Chief Administrator and Executive Officer of the Greater Valley Glen
Council. The President shall
preside over all meetings of the Greater Valley Glen Council.
b. The VICE PRESIDENT
shall, in the absence of the President, function as the presiding Officer and
shall carry out the duties and responsibilities of the President.
c. The SECRETARY shall
be responsible for the minutes of all meetings of the Officers, the Board
Members, and the general membership, and for all notices issued by and for the
Greater Valley Glen Council.
d. The TREASURER shall
be responsible for verification and review of all council
funds, accounts of receipts and disbursements belonging to the Greater Valley
Glen Council, written
monthly financial report to be made available to the public at the monthly
meetings and a written annual
financial report to be made available to
the public at the Annual
Meeting.
2. Election of Officers:
a.
The Board Members shall elect Officers from among their members at the
first regular meeting of the Board following the
election. Officers
shall be elected by a majority vote. Officers
may be removed from their elected office by a 2/3 vote of the Board.
b.
The term of an Officer shall be for one year.
c. An Officer may hold the same office for a maximum of two years or
serve as an Officer in any of the four Officer positions for a maximum of three
years.
The
Greater Valley Glen Council shall keep a book of accounts according to generally
accepted accounting principles and in compliance with Department of Neighborhood
Empowerment (DONE) guidelines.
ARTICLE
VIII: BYLAW AMENDMENTS &
MOTIONS FOR RECONSIDERATION
1.
These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Board or by a majority
vote of 100
Community Stakeholders present at any meeting, with prior notice, as
long as appropriate notice of the agenda has been given.
Thereafter, any adjustment or amendment shall be submitted to the
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment for review and approval by the Department
in accordance with Article V § 3 of the “Plan
For A Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils.”
2.
Reconsideration. The Board may reconsider and amend its action on items listed
on the agenda if that reconsideration takes place immediately following the
original action or at the next regular meeting. The Board shall (1) make a
motion for reconsideration and if approved, (2) hear the matter and take an
action. If the motion to reconsider an action is to be scheduled at the next
meeting following the original action, then two items shall be placed on the
agenda for that meeting: (1) A motion for reconsideration on the described
matter and (2) a (proposed) action should the motion to reconsider be approved.
A motion for reconsideration can only be made by a Board
Member who has previously voted on the prevailing side of the
original action taken. If a motion for reconsideration is not made on the date
the action was taken, then a Board Member on the prevailing side of the action
must submit a memorandum to the Secretary identifying the matter to be
reconsidered and a brief description of the reason(s) for requesting
reconsideration at the next regular meeting. The
memorandum must be submitted to the Secretary a
minimum of 96 hours prior to the
meeting at which the Board Member wants the matter to be heard. The aforesaid shall all be in compliance with the Brown Act.
1. All meetings shall comply with all applicable laws, including
the Ralph M. Brown Act. Members shall hold an Annual Meeting for identification
of issues, and a presentation of a financial statement and annual report.
The following applies to this meeting:
a. The General
Membership shall hold an Annual Meeting the first
Monday of the month preceding the annual elections,
at a location within the Greater
Valley Glen Council’s area boundaries.
b.
Notice of the time, date and place of the Annual Meeting shall be posted
at the
locations listed in our public notice location log as submitted with the
certification
application. A copy of notice for all annual
meetings shall be provided to DONE.
ARTICLE
X: GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
A
written complaint regarding the Greater Valley Glen Council shall be submitted
to the Board. The Board will than
refer the matter to an ad hoc grievance panel comprised of 5 Community Stakeholders randomly
selected by the Council Secretary from a list of Community Stakeholders
who have expressed an interest in serving on such a panel. The Secretary will
coordinate a time and place for the panel to meet with the person(s) submitting
a grievance and to discuss dispute resolution. Thereafter, a panel member shall
prepare a written report within two (2) months to be forwarded by the Secretary
to the Board outlining the panel's recommendations for the resolving the
grievance. The matter shall be heard at the next regular meeting of the Board
pursuant to the Brown Act.
The
formal grievance process is intended to address matters involving procedural
disputes, e.g., the Board's failure to comply with Board Rules or these Bylaws,
or its failure to comply with the Plan, local ordinances and/or State and
federal law. If the grievance cannot be resolved through the grievance process
then the complainant has the right to appeal to the Department of Neighborhood
Empowerment (Per Article 5 § 4 of the
Plan For A Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils).
ARTICLE XI: ELECTIONS
1.
Regular Elections
a.
Regular elections of Board
Members shall occur in March
2005 and annually thereafter. Board
Members shall hold their first meeting as a sworn Board on a separate meeting
Day.
b.
The Board shall establish
an election committee to draft procedures and determine the date of the annual
Election Day. The
election procedures and election date must be approved by a majority vote of the
Board Members.
c.
Any meetings held to facilitate the election process shall be held in
compliance
with the Brown Act.
2.
Eligibility
a.
All Community Stakeholders
of the Greater Valley Glen Council over the age of sixteen are eligible to vote.
b.
There shall be no proxy votes.
___________________________
Meeting ends. Next meeting will
be on December 6, 2004 at 7:00 pm.
